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My Beloved

A Mitford Novel

Part of A Mitford Novel

Author Jan Karon On Tour
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Hardcover
$32.00 US
| $42.00 CAN
Penguin Adult HC/TR | G.P. Putnam's Sons
On sale Oct 07, 2025 | 432 Pages | 9798217047178
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Jan Karon gives her beloved fans what they want for Christmas: a new Mitford novel.

When Father Tim’s wife, Cynthia, asks what he wants for Christmas, he pens the answer in a love letter that bares his most private feelings. Then the letter goes missing and circulates among his astonished neighbors. So much for private.

Can a letter change a life? Ask Helene, the piano teacher who has avoided her feelings for a lifetime. Ask Hope, the village bookseller who desperately needs something that’s impossibly out of reach. Or, if you’d like to know how a brush with death can be the portal to a happy marriage, Cynthia will tell you all about it.

In My Beloved, Harley gets an important letter of his own; a broken heart teaches the Old Mayor, Esther Cunningham, a lesson long in coming; and thanks to Lace and Dooley, readers get what they’ve been waiting for: Sadie.

Poignant, hilarious, and life-affirming, My Beloved sets a generous table for millions of readers who love these characters like family. With Karon’s signature humanity shining through on every page, this is a season of life in Mitford you won’t want to miss.
“Jan Karon is a national treasure. Prepare to laugh, cry and fall in love all over again as she takes us on a long-awaited trip back home to her beloved town of Mitford. What fun to catch up with Father Tim and all her iconic characters. And this time, there is a mystery afoot in Mitford you don’t want to miss. My Beloved is the heartwarming gift we all need.” —Fannie Flagg, New York Times-bestselling author of Fried Green Tomatoes

"It's been a while since Karon's last novel set in western North Carolina, To Be Where You Are (2017), so her many readers will be eager for further dispatches from Mitford. They will not be disappointed with this tender, spiritual tale of family and the boundless love that exists in community." —Booklist (starred review)

"Karon infuses the story with down-home charm and an earnest belief in the importance of community, family, and grace. Series fans will be enchanted." —Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Mitford Novels

"Welcome home, Mitford fans...to Karon's gift for illuminating the struggles that creep into everyday lives—along with a vividly imagined world."—PEOPLE

“Jan Karon reflects contemporary culture more fully than almost any other living novelist.” —Los Angeles Times

“The faster and more impersonal the world becomes, the more we need…Mitford.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Karon knits Mitford’s small-town characters and multiple storylines into a cozy sweater of a book….Hits the sweet spot at the intersection of your heart and your funny bone.” —USA Today

“Jan Karon offers her readers another chance to escape their own world, if just for a while….Her readers say they wish Mitford existed so they could move there.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Karon holds varying aspects of humanity up to the light, from staggering cruelty…to the awesome power of love and forgiveness.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Karon has a gift for breathing life into small moments that make readers both laugh and cry." —BookPage
“It’s hard for a review to capture the magic of Jan Karon’s writing and of the characters readers have taken for their own since the first Mitford book was published. But the magic is there….The delightful reconnections you’ll experience will both gladden your heart and satisfy your soul.” —Bookreporter.com

“Delightful…Familiar characters, lots of love, some humor, and a few surprises make this essential for all Mitford fans.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Karon’s Mitford series continues with all the beloved characters, down-home charm, and deep faith in God that are the hallmarks so beloved of fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Loyal fans of Karon’s Mitford novels and Father Tim will be delighted once again to spend time in this quintessential American village with its leading citizen and his colorful coterie of friends, family, and dependent souls.” —Booklist
© Jen Fariello Photography
Jan Karon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fifteen novels in the Mitford series, featuring Episcopal priest Father Tim Kavanagh. She has authored twelve other books, including Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader, and several titles for children. Jan lives in Virginia near the World Heritage site of Jefferson’s Monticello. The Mitford series was inspired by Jan's life in Western North Carolina, where her Mitford Museum now celebrates the world of Mitford and its stories. To reach out to Jan Karon and to learn more about the Mitford Museum, visit www.themitfordmuseum.org. View titles by Jan Karon

About

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jan Karon gives her beloved fans what they want for Christmas: a new Mitford novel.

When Father Tim’s wife, Cynthia, asks what he wants for Christmas, he pens the answer in a love letter that bares his most private feelings. Then the letter goes missing and circulates among his astonished neighbors. So much for private.

Can a letter change a life? Ask Helene, the piano teacher who has avoided her feelings for a lifetime. Ask Hope, the village bookseller who desperately needs something that’s impossibly out of reach. Or, if you’d like to know how a brush with death can be the portal to a happy marriage, Cynthia will tell you all about it.

In My Beloved, Harley gets an important letter of his own; a broken heart teaches the Old Mayor, Esther Cunningham, a lesson long in coming; and thanks to Lace and Dooley, readers get what they’ve been waiting for: Sadie.

Poignant, hilarious, and life-affirming, My Beloved sets a generous table for millions of readers who love these characters like family. With Karon’s signature humanity shining through on every page, this is a season of life in Mitford you won’t want to miss.

Reviews

“Jan Karon is a national treasure. Prepare to laugh, cry and fall in love all over again as she takes us on a long-awaited trip back home to her beloved town of Mitford. What fun to catch up with Father Tim and all her iconic characters. And this time, there is a mystery afoot in Mitford you don’t want to miss. My Beloved is the heartwarming gift we all need.” —Fannie Flagg, New York Times-bestselling author of Fried Green Tomatoes

"It's been a while since Karon's last novel set in western North Carolina, To Be Where You Are (2017), so her many readers will be eager for further dispatches from Mitford. They will not be disappointed with this tender, spiritual tale of family and the boundless love that exists in community." —Booklist (starred review)

"Karon infuses the story with down-home charm and an earnest belief in the importance of community, family, and grace. Series fans will be enchanted." —Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Mitford Novels

"Welcome home, Mitford fans...to Karon's gift for illuminating the struggles that creep into everyday lives—along with a vividly imagined world."—PEOPLE

“Jan Karon reflects contemporary culture more fully than almost any other living novelist.” —Los Angeles Times

“The faster and more impersonal the world becomes, the more we need…Mitford.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Karon knits Mitford’s small-town characters and multiple storylines into a cozy sweater of a book….Hits the sweet spot at the intersection of your heart and your funny bone.” —USA Today

“Jan Karon offers her readers another chance to escape their own world, if just for a while….Her readers say they wish Mitford existed so they could move there.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Karon holds varying aspects of humanity up to the light, from staggering cruelty…to the awesome power of love and forgiveness.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Karon has a gift for breathing life into small moments that make readers both laugh and cry." —BookPage
“It’s hard for a review to capture the magic of Jan Karon’s writing and of the characters readers have taken for their own since the first Mitford book was published. But the magic is there….The delightful reconnections you’ll experience will both gladden your heart and satisfy your soul.” —Bookreporter.com

“Delightful…Familiar characters, lots of love, some humor, and a few surprises make this essential for all Mitford fans.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Karon’s Mitford series continues with all the beloved characters, down-home charm, and deep faith in God that are the hallmarks so beloved of fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Loyal fans of Karon’s Mitford novels and Father Tim will be delighted once again to spend time in this quintessential American village with its leading citizen and his colorful coterie of friends, family, and dependent souls.” —Booklist

Author

© Jen Fariello Photography
Jan Karon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of fifteen novels in the Mitford series, featuring Episcopal priest Father Tim Kavanagh. She has authored twelve other books, including Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader, and several titles for children. Jan lives in Virginia near the World Heritage site of Jefferson’s Monticello. The Mitford series was inspired by Jan's life in Western North Carolina, where her Mitford Museum now celebrates the world of Mitford and its stories. To reach out to Jan Karon and to learn more about the Mitford Museum, visit www.themitfordmuseum.org. View titles by Jan Karon

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